Earls Palace in Kirkwall

Earl's palace in Kirkwall is an amazing antiquity, buried in ruins, which lies within the archipelago of northern Scottish Orkney. Palace of the Earls is standing right in the center of Kirkwall, next to the Cathedral St Magnus which represents the heart of the Scottish town. Opposite the ruins of the castle is another landmark of the village - the bishops palace.

For the people of Orkney, the palace of the Earls in Kirkwall is considered a monument to what can be described as one of the darkest episodes in the history of Orkney - the power and the rule of the Earls Stewart, who left Scotland the history of their gory exploitative manner.

Robert Stewart, first Earl of Orkney and his son Patrick are known as the most tyrannical Earls of Scotland. They built their palace in Kirkwall and in Birsay at the cost of slave-like labor by many locals. Even the land on which these estates were built was acquired largely unfairly by force.

Earl's palace in Kirkwall is central to the city, was built in 1600 by Earl Patrick Stewart. Every stone which was erected for the castle suggests the human tragedy, as told by locals. The end result, looking at it in terms of architecture, was overwhelming. In the heart of the city appears a palace, which even then was recognized as one of the best examples of French renaissance architecture in Scotland.

Earl's palace in Kirkwall was built on two floors, on the ground Are cellars and the kitchen. Once the main entrance of the mansion was a real miracle of architecture and was accompanied by a column of heraldic panels. On the ground floor a large staircase leads to the first floor, where were located living rooms and apartments and the great hall with its wonderful painted decorations. That's what was the most important room in the castle. Its size reaches 16 meters long and has two huge fireplaces and wonderful, generous ornate high arched windows.

As of 1615 the majority of the palace is ready, but then the owner Stuart was in jail and the Palace of the Earls became the property of the Bishop of Orkney. As the seat of the bishops the castle was used until 1688 when it became the property of the monarch. Gradually, the mansion was abandoned and by 1705 is in total disrepair. In the mid-18th century the Earl's palace in Kirkwall remains without its roof, which even today is so.